Publication Ethics

Journal of Laboratory Analysis (JLAS) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and research integrity. All authors, editors, reviewers, and other parties involved in the publication process are expected to uphold principles of honesty, transparency, accountability, and academic integrity.

JLAS follows generally accepted principles of publication ethics and takes appropriate action in cases of suspected research or publication misconduct.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

The submitted manuscript is original and has not been published previously.
The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal at the same time.
All data and research findings are reported accurately and honestly.
Any sources, ideas, or statements derived from other works are properly cited.
All individuals listed as authors have made substantial contributions to the research and have approved the final version of the manuscript.
All authors agree to the submission and publication of the manuscript.
Any potential conflicts of interest are disclosed.
All relevant funding sources are properly acknowledged.
Appropriate ethical approval and informed consent are obtained when required.
Any errors discovered after publication are promptly reported to the journal editor.

Authors must not engage in plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship practices, or manipulation of research data.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for managing the editorial process fairly, objectively, and transparently.

Editors should:

Evaluate manuscripts based on their academic quality, originality, relevance, and scientific contribution.
Make editorial decisions independently and without discrimination based on authors' nationality, ethnicity, gender, institutional affiliation, religion, or other personal characteristics.
Maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
Select appropriate and qualified reviewers.
Manage potential conflicts of interest.
Take appropriate action when ethical concerns or allegations of misconduct arise.
Ensure that published content meets the journal's academic and ethical standards.

Editors should not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for their own research or personal benefit.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality and integrity of the journal.

Reviewers should:

Conduct reviews objectively, fairly, and constructively.
Maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and review process.
Identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately cited.
Notify the editor of any potential conflict of interest.
Inform the editor of any suspected plagiarism, data manipulation, or other forms of research misconduct.
Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe whenever possible.
Not use unpublished information obtained during the review process for personal advantage or research purposes.

4. Plagiarism

JLAS considers plagiarism to be a serious form of academic misconduct.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

Copying text, ideas, data, figures, or other material without appropriate attribution.
Presenting another person's work as one's own.
Reusing substantial portions of previously published work without appropriate citation or disclosure.
Duplicate or redundant publication.

Submitted manuscripts may be screened using appropriate plagiarism-detection tools.

If substantial plagiarism is identified, the manuscript may be rejected and further action may be taken in accordance with applicable publication ethics practices.

5. Fabrication and Falsification

JLAS does not tolerate fabrication or falsification of research.

Fabrication refers to making up data, results, experiments, or other research information.

Falsification refers to manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, data, images, or results in a way that misrepresents the research findings.

Manuscripts involving suspected fabrication or falsification may be rejected, and published articles may be corrected or retracted when necessary.

6. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously.

Authors should also avoid publishing substantially similar research in multiple publications without appropriate justification, disclosure, and cross-referencing.

Any suspected duplicate or redundant publication will be investigated by the editorial team.

7. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the research and who have participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript.

All authors should approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for the work.

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet authorship criteria should be appropriately acknowledged.

Changes to authorship after submission should only be made with a clear justification and the agreement of all authors.

8. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, personal, professional, or institutional relationships that could influence or be perceived to influence the research, review, or editorial decision.

Where no conflict of interest exists, authors should state:

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

9. Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants, human data, animals, or other ethically regulated materials must comply with relevant ethical standards and institutional or regulatory requirements.

Where applicable, authors must provide information regarding ethical approval and informed consent in the manuscript.

10. Corrections and Retractions

JLAS is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the published scientific record.

If an error is identified in a published article, the journal may publish a correction, clarification, or other appropriate notice.

Articles may be retracted when there is clear evidence of serious misconduct, unreliable findings, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other circumstances that substantially affect the integrity of the published work.

Decisions regarding corrections and retractions will be handled carefully and transparently.

11. Complaints and Allegations of Misconduct

JLAS takes complaints and allegations of publication or research misconduct seriously.

Complaints may concern plagiarism, authorship disputes, conflicts of interest, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, peer-review manipulation, or other ethical concerns.

The editorial team will assess allegations objectively and may request additional information or documentation from the authors, reviewers, institutions, or other relevant parties.

Appropriate action will be taken based on the nature and severity of the issue.

12. Peer Review Integrity

JLAS maintains the integrity of the peer-review process.

Authors, reviewers, and editors must not attempt to manipulate the peer-review process. Any suspected review manipulation, including the inappropriate suggestion of reviewers or interference with the review process, may result in rejection of the manuscript or further investigation.

13. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools for language improvement, grammar checking, translation, or other appropriate forms of editorial assistance. However, AI tools cannot be listed as authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their manuscripts.

If AI tools are used substantially in preparing the manuscript, authors should disclose their use in an appropriate section of the manuscript, where applicable.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate data, generate misleading results, manipulate images, or create false references.

14. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions should be based on the scientific quality, originality, relevance, and integrity of the manuscript.

Editors and reviewers must not allow personal, institutional, financial, or other interests to improperly influence editorial decisions.